While fishing using a fishing pole and line, it is frequently necessary to use both hands for attaching lures, hooks, leaders and other equipment to the line. Other activities requiring both hands are baiting, cleaning fouled hooks and removing fish. Freeing both hands means that the person has to let go of the pole or rod, running the risk of losing it or fouling the reel or line. Letting go of a rod may be particularly difficult or undesirable when fly fishing or fishing from a boat or canoe.
As reflected by the following noted patents, fishing pole holders to facilitate using and handling fishing poles are known.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,963 (Uso, Jr. et al.) discloses a fishing pole fastening device with an elasticized band for placing about a railing and a second band permanently attached crosswise to the elasticized band for fastening to a fishing pole. Both bands have a "Velcro" fastening mechanism so they can be formed into loops. While the device disclosed by Uso, Jr. et al. could be placed about a limb of a person, if it were placed on the arm or wrist of a fisherman, the free ends of the second band or the loop formed thereby could interfere with casting or get tangled with the fishing line, clothing or other equipment. Additionally, if one attempted to use the Uso, Jr. et al. device on the lower leg, it would be difficult to quickly and conveniently insert or simply drop the butt end of a fishing pole into the soft, flexible loop formed by the second band. The Uso, Jr. et al. pole capturing band is permanently attached to the elasticized band and the entire device must be detached from the railing to which it is attached to move it or a pole to another location.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,761,497 (Smith), U.S. Pat. No. 1,786,254 (Meehan), U.S. Pat. No. 2,846,129 (O'Brien) and U. S. Pat. No. 4,739,914 (Pothetes) disclose fishing rod holders of the type using rigid or semi-rigid jaws (Pothetes), spring-like clamps (O'Brien and Meehan) or clasps (Smith) to hold the butt or base portion of a fishing rod. The rod holding mechanisms of these devices cannot be separated easily from the base portion secured to the user. None provides for capturing and holding a fishing pole near the tip of the pole.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,874,573 (Fruscella et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,569,466 (Webber), U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,018 (Ferrigno), U. S. Pat. No. 5,123,578 (Morse) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,386,932 (Gross) disclose holster type fishing rod holders designed to be secured to the belt of a fisherman. None discloses a feature for holding the tip of a fishing rod or a rod holding member which can be easily detached from the belt engaging portion to be mounted on something else, for example a railing or the gunwale of a fishing boat.
Accordingly, there is a need for a holder for holding a fishing pole, wherein the holder is adapted to securely hold a pole at or adjacent to the butt and/or the tip, either to a person's body or to another object, so the person using the pole may have both hands free for performing tasks such as changing lures, baiting or the like.